Share via

The results of identity theft

Stephen Glynn 0 Reputation points
2026-03-12T00:30:28.51+00:00

In January I was subject to identity theft initially through my mobile phone being transferred over to another network without my knowledge. I have changed my primary email address and password in my Microsoft account and apparently it then takes up to 30 days to acknowledge my verification email address. I have tried a number of ways to delete the previous email addresses with no luck and have to say Microsoft have made it very difficult to process. Also my mobile phone number seems to have disappeared from the verification process too, I have no clue why? It would be useful to have a direct email address to Microsoft to discuss my issues to make sure I have done the right thing, but there seems to be no direct contact whatsoever?

i’m 68 now and technology is getting more and more harder to work out!

I saw something else mentioned- a pass key, what’s that?

what is a tag????

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Account management, security, and privacy
0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
  1. Chloe-V 5,920 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-03-12T12:31:02.4333333+00:00

    Hi Stephen Glynn,

    Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.

    I understand this can be confusing. After making changes related to account security, the system may need additional time to fully process and reflect those updates.

    Regarding your phone number no longer appearing as a verification option, this can happen if the number was previously linked to a security-related incident. In such cases, the system may temporarily remove or hide the phone number to help protect the account. Once the current security process is completed, you should be able to add a phone number again if needed.

    Please follow the steps below in order:

    1. Allow the 30‑day security period to complete

    • After changing a primary email address or verification details, Microsoft applies a protection period. During this time, some older email addresses or verification options may still appear and may not be removable immediately.

    2. Avoid removing all verification methods at the same time

    • Doing so may cause additional restrictions on the account.

    3. After the waiting period ends, sign in to your Microsoft account and:

    • Confirm the new primary email address
    • Add a phone number for verification (if needed)
    • Remove any old email addresses you no longer use

    4. Passkey (optional)

    • A passkey allows you to sign in using your device (PIN, fingerprint, or face recognition) and provides stronger protection without relying on a password.
    • You may refer to the official Microsoft page here: Signing in with a passkey

    Please feel free to let me know if you have any further updates, thanks.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".  

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

    0 comments

0 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.